Gender, Distress, and Coping in Response to Terrorism

Sever, Ilana; Somer, Eli; Ruvio, Ayalla; Soref, Erez

doi:10.1177/0886109908314317

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Consistent with previous studies (see Bleich, Gelkopf, & Solomon, 2003; Nellis, 2009; Sever, Somer, Ruvio, & Soref, 2008), we hypothesized that gender differences would be maintained when examining spousal levels of fear and posttraumatic symptoms. Indeed, this claim was supported, with mothers reporting higher level of fear and more PTSD symptoms than their spouses.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

“…In the current study, parents were asked to answer a questionnaire that examined coping strategies, with reference to how they cope with a life routine in the shadow of terrorist and security threats. Indeed, a problem-focused coping strategy fits the need to find practical solutions under continuous exposure to situations of stress and pressure (Hirsch & Lazar, 2012; Sever et al, 2008) along with the parental imperative to protect their children. For example, Zeidner (2006) also explains the relationship between using a problem-focused coping strategy and exposure to terrorist incidents as an attempt at family protection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spousal Coping Strategies in the Shadow of Terrorism

Shechory-Bitton

Cohen-Louck

2017

J Interpers Violence

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The present study focuses on spousal differences in reaction to ongoing exposure to terror and security threats. Sixty-eight married couples with children living in a region exposed to ongoing security threats were evaluated. All participants completed questionnaires on objective exposure (number of incidents) and subjective exposure (sense of fear) to terrorism and security threats, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and their coping strategies with this ongoing exposure. Mothers reported higher levels of fear and PTSD symptoms, although their objective levels of exposure did not differ from those of their husbands. Similarities were found in coping strategies adopted by mothers and fathers to cope with life in the shadow of terrorism. Both mothers and fathers integrated emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies, with greater use of the latter. These similarities partially contradict research findings suggesting gender differences in coping with exposure to security threats. The results support the need for further research into investigating the role of dyadic coping in the context of prolonged exposure to security threats.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spousal Coping Strategies in the Shadow of Terrorism

Shechory-Bitton

Cohen-Louck

2017

J Interpers Violence

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“…Similarly, a few previous research studies conducted in Israel compared stress reactions of adolescents and adults residing in areas exposed to war and terrorism versus nonexposed areas (e.g., Cohen & Yahav, 2008;Klingman, 1995). Another approach has been to rely on individual, subjective reports of exposure levels to terrorism (e.g., Bleich, Gelkopf, Melamed, & Solomon, 2006;Gelkopf, Solomon, Berger, & Bleich, 2008;Pfefferbaum et al, 2002;Sever, Somer, Ruvio, & Soref, 2008).…”

Section: Israeli Adolescents' Mental Health and Exposure To Terrorismmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Role of Social Support for Israeli Adolescents Continually Exposed to Terrorism: Protective or Compensatory Factors?

Schiff

Pat‐Horenczyk

Peled

2010

Journ Child Adol Trauma

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This study investigated the role that social support plays in posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms among Israeli adolescents with high or low exposure to terrorist acts. Participants were 585 Jewish students (221 girls and 364 boys) in grades 7 to 12 from areas extensively versus slightly exposed to terrorist attacks. Results found that PTS levels and depressive symptoms were higher among adolescents residing in areas highly exposed to terrorism. Adolescents in high exposure areas reported lower perceived levels of support than adolescents in low exposure areas when gender, age, and religiosity were controlled. Social support was found to be a significant predictor for PTS and depressive symptoms, but no evidence for a buffering role of social support was obtained. We conclude that social support has a positive effect on a person's mental health regardless of the type and level of the stressor the individual is exposed to.

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“…This difference cannot be fully explained by different patterns of trauma exposure, such as women experiencing more interpersonal violence such as sexual assaults (Tolin and Foa, 2006 ). For example, women report higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms than men after earthquakes (Carmassi and Dell'Osso, 2016 ), motor vehicle accidents (Fullerton et al, 2001 ), and terrorism (Solomon et al, 2005 ; Sever et al, 2008 ). Furthermore, studies of measurement invariance of PTSD scales suggest no or minimal gender differences in factor structure of PTSD, meaning that the instruments measure the PTSD symptoms in both genders equally well (Wang et al, 2013 ; Carragher et al, 2016 ; Frankfurt et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms after a Terrorist Attack: A Network Approach

et al. 2017

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Background: Posttraumatic stress symptoms are more prevalent in women than in men. To improve our understanding of gender differences in PTSD, detailed knowledge about the underlying symptom networks and gender specific symptom profiles is needed.Objective: We aimed to describe the gender differences in levels of individual posttraumatic stress symptoms after a terrorist attack, as well as identify possible gender differences in associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms.Method: This study used survey data from ministerial employees directly (n = 190) and indirectly (n = 1,615) exposed to the 2011 Oslo bombing. Data was collected approximately 10 months after the event. In order to investigate gender differences in levels of symptoms, we used bootstrapped means and standard deviations. Network analyses were conducted to identify gender differences in the associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms.Results: Women reported higher levels of all symptoms, and the strongest effect sizes were found for symptoms of re-experiencing, and anxious and dysphoric arousal. Among individuals with considerable levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, women reported higher levels of physiological cue activity and exaggerated startle response. No significant gender differences in the networks of posttraumatic stress were found.Conclusions: The present results find no indication that the gender difference in prevalence of PTSD can be explained by differences in associations between symptoms. In order to determine if this finding can be applied to other participants and circumstances, future studies should seek to replicate this study in both community and clinical samples.

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Gender, Distress, and Coping in Response to Terrorism

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Spousal Coping Strategies in the Shadow of Terrorism

Spousal Coping Strategies in the Shadow of Terrorism

The Role of Social Support for Israeli Adolescents Continually Exposed to Terrorism: Protective or Compensatory Factors?

Gender Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms after a Terrorist Attack: A Network Approach

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